Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 140, Section 139: Within the Four Seas
Compared to the peaceful environment of the Qin Dynasty in later times, the head of Liyang Pavilion had already experienced countless wars.

From his grandfather's time, the wars in the Qin state never ceased.

Now, upon hearing the nobleman's question, he frowned: "At the beginning of the year, when His Majesty went on a western tour, just after leaving Xianyang City, a strongman pushed a huge rock down from the mountain, smashing two carriages."

However, Ji Heng always traveled in dozens of carriages, changing them secretly, so he was not injured.

However, he was a stubborn man. The Qin Dynasty had just unified the world, and someone was already plotting a rebellion and attempting assassination! He was furious, so he mobilized troops to surround the mountain and spent more than a month sweeping it away inch by inch. Then he captured the strongman and had him torn apart by chariots in public!
The punishment of being torn apart by chariots was so cruel that Qin Shi's brow twitched violently upon hearing it.

But she had no say in the matter.

Besides, severe punishments and harsh laws also have their advantages.

Firstly, she understood Ji Heng's principle of making an example of someone to scare others.

Secondly... the failure of modern education in her case is that she actually feels that for some criminals, the death penalty alone is too lenient!
On this point, she wouldn't advocate for anything like respecting the human rights of criminals...

At this moment, she disregarded the strongman's fate and quickly replied, "Thank you for your guidance, Pavilion Chief."

He instructed his attendants, "Disguise the carriages with black linen and leave them empty. Replace the prince and princess's carriages as well, making them the same size as the Yan family's carriages."

I just don't know if this decision was made so hastily, and whether the carriage will be able to...

Just as she was pondering, she saw the tall young man Yan Cong walk over, bow, and say, "The King has already prepared carriages, horses, and soldiers at the post station, and instructed my elder sister to change for the King of Qin. Yan Cong will be the charioteer for the journey ahead."

Qin Shi was stunned.

Looking at the village head, he also smiled and bowed, clearly having received the order last night.

Qin Shi was speechless for a moment.

She couldn't understand Ji Heng's cautious consideration of the queen's position, nor did she know the many hesitations and suspicions in his heart, and the various weighings and reluctance in the end...

In short, she summarized these complex and unspoken considerations of those in positions of power into the following general terms:

The king wanted to teach her and the princes and princesses a lesson.

Fine.

He is the king, and he calls the shots.

Princess Wen also alighted from the carriage at this moment. Attendants held up a canopy to shield her from the sun, and two others carried incense burners.

"Lord Qin, that carriage is too small. Why should I change to another carriage?"

Although she was naive, she wasn't a child who knew nothing, so Qin Shi explained:
"The head of the pavilion said that things are not peaceful in the area right now, and our carriage is too conspicuous. For safety's sake, it would be better to change it."

Princess Wen glanced at the unremarkable old man, then stood tall and proud: "My father's power is renowned throughout the land, and General Yan's reputation is equally illustrious. Who dares to be so presumptuous here?"

"Lord Qin, you are being a little too cautious."

She glanced at the pavilion chief again and snorted, "I'm not changing carriages."

But Qin Shi's reply was both gentle and firm:

"If that's what the princess thinks, then so be it."

When dealing with unruly children, if you can't explain things clearly, don't force it: "But on this trip, I'm in charge."

"Princess, you either go back to Xianyang, or you listen to me."

Princess Fanfiction: !!!

She looked at Qin Shi, pursed her lips, and finally turned and went back with a flick of her sleeve.

When Qin Shi turned around again, he saw that the village head seemed a little uneasy, so he smiled reassuringly.

"The princess is just young at heart, but she's actually quite reasonable. The pavilion chief needn't take it to heart—if you have some free time, why don't you tell me what needs to be done daily to run this post station, and what difficulties it presents?" This was the second time she'd asked about the difficulties of running it. Although the pavilion chief didn't know, he didn't hide anything:
"The laws of our Qin state are strict, and no one has caused trouble at the post station..."

It's also difficult to cause trouble, since those who are qualified to come to this post station nowadays are basically officials or nobles, or have royal orders.

Ordinary people cannot get close at all.

All matters concerning food, clothing, housing, transportation, and maintenance are funded by the Xianyang government. This system is passed down from father to son and grandson to grandson. As long as the world is at peace, there will naturally be no worries whatsoever.

only……

He glanced at Qin Jun again, gritted his teeth, and said, "In the past two years, the number of laborers conscripted for the Lishan Underground Palace has been increasing. This year alone, there have been two instances of laborers clashing with their squad leaders and killing each other in anger..."

Although no major chaos occurred under the control of Qin law and the soldiers, this vague sign made the village head extremely uneasy:
"Although Liyang Pavilion is spacious, it is not garrisoned with many soldiers. If there is another riot, they could easily break into the pavilion."

As an important information transmission hub, the post station not only housed fine horses and stored a small amount of grain, but also some military equipment.

Once it's occupied...

The village head frowned, wondering if he was worrying unnecessarily.

Qin Shi's expression turned serious.

The increasing number of laborers conscripted for the Lishan Underground Palace indicates an ever-increasing workload, and even... a rising mortality rate among these laborers.

In addition to these, the Qin state is currently constructing the Great Wall, the Ling Canal, and a palace complex that Ji Heng is still designing...

She almost smiled bitterly: Although the people are like leeks, they will grow back after being cut, but we can't cut them once today and again tomorrow!

Chen Sheng and Wu Guang shouted, "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?"

Is it really because of the punishment of execution for being late?

She had asked the Red Woman, and the only punishment for delaying the deadline was a verbal reprimand or a fine (such as being fined a suit of armor), and it was impossible for her to be beheaded.

Given this, what forces people to resist is nothing more than layers upon layers of endless oppression.

As for the Lishan Underground Palace... although the time and space are different, the pressure it brings to ordinary people is exactly the same.

Qin Shi took a deep breath and solemnly said to the village head, "This matter is of great importance, and I do not have the authority to make a decision immediately."

"Please allow me to think this over carefully, and I will come back to discuss it with you on my way back."

"If I have any findings, I will present them to the King in person when I return to Xianyang Palace."

Her earnestness, solely for her baseless speculation, alarmed the village head: "This is merely the opinion of a petty person..."

Qin Shi shook his head: "Worrying about the country and its people, and considering all the details, how can this be just one person's opinion? It is clearly the government's policies that have failed to protect the people of our Great Qin."

"Director Xie speaks frankly."

Meanwhile, in the distance, Princess Wen, who had just changed carriages, slammed down the window and looked at Prince Qian, who was still dawdling, and became even angrier:
"Although Lord Qin accepted the two hundred gold coins last time, could it be that he still holds a grudge against you and me?"

"Otherwise, why would she be so polite and respectful to her subordinates, yet treat you and me with such disrespect and order, showing absolutely no tolerance?"

As he spoke, he rested his hand on the table, and then remembered how small the carriage was now, with all of them crammed in, which made him even angrier!
However, Wang Ziqian, who was engrossed in copying, said upon hearing this, "What's there to not understand? I know how to do this!"

He tilted his head back and shook it, revealing the last bit of knowledge he had:

"A gentleman is respectful and makes no mistakes; he is courteous and polite to others; all within the four seas are brothers."

　Here I am! Goodnight!

　　(End of this chapter)